1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a skin temperature measuring apparatus for diagnosing disturbance of a peripheral circulation and, more particularly, to an apparatus for measuring skin temperature by a radiation thermometer while blowing cold air to the skin.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
It has been known that, when a worker suffers from a vibration disease, a diffuse collagen disease or a diabetes mellitus, he has disturbance of peripheral circulation. When he suffers from the disturbance of the peripheral circulation, disturbance of blood stream occurs in his peripheral circulation system such as his fingers, and he exhibits abnormal skin temperature as the disturbance of the blood stream. Thus, it is effective to measure the skin temperature such as at his fingers as a method for diagnosing the disturbance of the peripheral circulation.
As means for measuring skin temperature of fingers, a method for measuring skin temperature is by, for example, the apparatus as shown in FIG. 7(a). A thermocouple 52 is attached to a finger by an adhesive tape 51 while dipping the finger in cold water 53 (generally at 5.degree. C.) for a predetermined time (generally for 10 min.) to measure the skin temperature during this period. The finger is then removed from the cold water 53. The skin temperature is continuously measured for a predetermined time (generally for 10 min.) in the air as shown in FIG. 7(b). This procedure has been heretofore known. However, this method had the following drawbacks.
(i) A third party, such as a nurse, must attach the thermocouple by adhesive tape to the person's finger to be measured. In this case, the thermocouple must be tightly and correctly attached to the finger. If the attachment of the thermocouple to the finger is wrong, a large error is generated at the measured value.
(ii) When the finger is immersed in the cold water for a long period of time, the person or worker with the disturbance of the peripheral circulation suffers from large pains. When the fingers are dipped in the cold water, the patient's blood pressure rises. Thus, this procedure is very dangerous for the person with hypertension, heart failure or an aged person.
(iii) When the skin temperature is measured in the air after the temperature has been measured in the cold water, a large measuring error is generated due to external factors such as the degree of the atmospheric air temperature and the presence or absence, or the degree of wind or air flow. If the finger is moved during the measurement, a large measuring error occurs due to the air or wind created by movement.
As described above, the conventional method for measuring the skin temperature has a number of serious drawbacks. Therefore, the conventional method has not been frequently carried out as a method for dispensing the disturbance of the peripheral circulation.